The Fellowship Experience

The Fellowship requires a nine-month commitment starting October 2017. The Fellowship program emphasizes professional development, mentoring, networking, as well as access to senior level professionals. The Fellows meet monthly to interact with leaders in the community, discuss leadership challenges in various sectors, participate in skill-building workshops, and create opportunities to share their expertise with others. The Fellows receive a $1,000 honorarium in recognition of their commitment to the program.

The heart of the program is a participant-generated project that could include one of the following: 1) with Board mentorship, research and write a short article on one of Senator Jackson’s legislative accomplishments, 2) partner with a mentor to develop a professional project that can advance the Fellow’s leadership in their field, 3) work with the Foundation staff on a specific project, or 4) propose a community-based project to implement. The goal is to apply the learning to the projects, to share the experience with other Fellows, and to benefit the community. The 2016 Fellows' projects are available here. The 2017 Fellows' projects are available here.

The year culminates in a Foundation-hosted trip and event in Washington, D.C. to introduce the Fellows to Congressional and U.S. government representatives, East Coast Foundation Board Members, nonprofit organizations, and other leaders in the area. This trip assists each of the Fellows in making important connections for the future.

"The Fellowship program has surrounded me with the tools and resources I need to become the most effective servant leader I desire to be: training and workshops to explore my leadership and team strengths and challenges; input and problem solving with the other fellows as we apply the principles we learn back into our professional worlds; regular mentorship to work through the questions and opportunities as I experience them, and a strong network that will continue to have a positive impact on me, my career, and our region." Tamara Power-Drutis, 2016 Fellow

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He reached out across the aisle to uncover different perspectives and then build coalitions. And he did this with extraordinary civility, even with irascible colleagues. That's how you become a great legislator.

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James Schlesinger, former Secretary of Energy and Secretary of Defense